Black Star
by MidnightOpal
Summary: Posessed by an undeniably powerful enemy, Heero fights to regain his mind and body while NeoQueen Serenity grieves her past mistakes and tries to pull her team of Senshi back together to fight, despite the fact that they have no recollection of each other
1. Momentary Harmony

**Black Star**

_**Chapter one: Momentary Harmony**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.

…………………………..

This was bliss. He peered down at the heavily breathing woman beside him, her hot breath on his neck making him bothered, tickling his senses and making his body jolt with excitement. She moved her legs to get in a more comfortable position and let out a pitiful yawn, lips barely parting as she inhaled deeply, the scent of jasmine surrounding them from the open windows. Stretching, the woman extended her body and heaved a satisfied sigh, the stretch exposing the rest of her naked body as it rest it the soft light of the moon, arms splayed out above her head, fingers mingling with a few long strands of her hair. Beads of sweat adorned her curves as the moon beams filtered through the swaying curtains, a soft, subtle breeze flowing fleetingly over her skin giving her heavenly body an ethereal glow. He took his finger and placed it gently on her shoulder, smiling seductively as he slowly guided it down the appendage until he broke off and traced it along to the dip of her hips.

"Your body is heavenly," he whispered as he pushed her disheveled and matted hair away from her face, linking his fingers with hers which resided over her head. Leaning down he gave her a small kiss. She smiled back up at him as he propped his head on his hand and stared at her with adoring eyes, bringing their clasped hands to his lips and placing a soft kiss onto the back of her hand. He was, without a doubt, the luckiest man on the planet.

"Thank you," was her silent reply as she leaned up, her lips leaving a tingling sensation where they gently brushed his neck causing his body to shiver with delight. The tiny crystals that hung above his window collided from the faint breeze outdoors, the sweet sound reverberating within his large room as the moonlight shifted through the daring cuts of the crystal, creating temping shapes on his body. She kissed along one of them on his neck and bit at it playfully, giggling as he mumbled something incoherent. "What was that?" she whispered absent mindedly.

"Marry me…" he said again as he kissed the top of her head, missing the haunting, almost evil smirk on her blood red lips, yet slowly and surely the smile turned remorseful and rueful. She slowly rolled up on top of him and sat on his stomach spreading her long fingers over the expansion of his chest letting her long hair tickle it as he grabbed her hips and she grabbed his face with both of her hands in a soft grasp.

"Tell me why you'd like to marry me," she almost demanded as he took one of her hands from his chest and pressed it over his heart where it beat steadily.

"Do you feel that?" he asked. On the outside she smiled and nodded however on the inside she merely rolled her eyes for she knew what his fatal and last speech would be, she'd heard it many times before. "This heart beats only for you…" His serious face was too much for her as a small giggle escaped her lips. Another gurgled from the depths of her throat and he looked up slightly hurt, wondering what was so funny, and if his speech was really that corny. "What is it?" he asked as she smiled widely.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," she mumbled onto his lips as she lightly brushed hers over his and gave a grievous sigh. He, thinking she was returning his marriage offer, kissed her hard and shifted his hands through her long silken hair. Pulling away slowly, as not to offend him, she sat back up and took his hand, placing it over her left breast. "Do you feel that?" she asked, pressing it down hard, his fingers yearning to feel the same distinguished beat that thrummed within his own chest. Moving his hand around a bit his eyebrows creased in confusion as he tried to find the steady beat that was so like his own. However despite his frenzied search he found no heart beat and heard her sigh above him. She, all along, knew that his search for the one thing that linked them together was futile. "That is my curse for falling for one I should have not."

He looked up at her, his gorgeous eyes demanding an explanation, the confusion evident within them. "But what are you—" his lips stopped moving as he was cut off by her perfectly manicured finger, her voice making calming, shushing sounds.

"My life," she began, "is not my own." With his utterly confused look she gave him a sorrowful smile as he reached up and sifted his fingers through her hair. His eyes bore into hers, questions stirring within them like a sea of words begging to be released through his lips.

"Baby, what are you talking about? You're making no sense. If I knew asking you to marry me would be this complicated I would have waited," he joked as he leaned up and kissed her lips softly, his politeness keeping his burning questions at bay.

Sighing sadly she shoved him back to the soft bed. "Too bad I didn't meet you before he claimed my life." He was about to ask what she meant when the most amazing and grotesque thing happened before his eyes. She held her hand up to a piercing moonbeam and cringed. A black tip peaked out from her wrist, pushing through her flesh slowly and painfully, the skin stretching to allow the object to see earth's night. Seconds later the most intricately carved dagger protruded from her wrist, curves and symbols adorned it as she pulled it from her wrist with a sickening '_squish!'_

Backing up in surprise he immediately let go of her and leaned back, the questions in his eyes muted to only one single important factor. "Who…" he paused, "_what_… are you?"

"In this world I am the bringer of death," she responded slowly. "You will meet the real goddess of death in mere moments but, for the time being let's just say I do the dirty work. This right here," she held the blade elegantly in the little light that illuminated the room, tracing her finger over the sharp, pointed tip, "is what we like to call the Blade of Fate." And with a lightning fast swoop of her arm she plunged the blade deep within his stomach.

His eyes grew wide as blood erupted from his mouth, the coppery tasting fluid dribbling down his chin, making its way towards her fingers which were still splayed over his chest. She lifted her legs over him and stood by his bedside in all her glory, placing her hands on her hips and smiling ruefully as his eyes glared at her in disdain. Walking close to him she placed a kiss to his bloody lips and smiled.

"Before you're engulfed in your great demise I bet the burning question on your lips is; why?" He never moved, however blinked his response. Leaning towards his ear she let her hot breath tickle his neck before answering in a soft whisper, "you know too much about my life, about my society." By the widening of his eyes and the slight clench of his fingers to his bloody sheets she could tell that his mind was now registering her brief comment. "That's right Dr. Marin, you," she paused as her hand hovered above the Blade of Fate, "know," she continued placing her hand on the top of the handle that protruded from his stomach, "too much," and slowly began to push it farther into the depths of his human body.

As more blood dripped from his lips he coughed out his last words. "They'll find you," he croaked, his voice sounding dry despite the thick liquid oozing from his lips. When she giggled he knew there was a twist and his last words were completely useless.

"They'll never find me," she grinned, wiping some blood from his chin with her thumb and sucking on it, the thick taste making her want to groan in delight. "Because I merely do not exist," and with her words she pushed down on the hilt of her long dagger, through the entirety of his stomach.

……………………………….

Heero squinted as the coarse bag was ripped ferociously from his head, his eyes unused to light from being held in the darkness for far too long. His disheveled hair was matted with his own sweat and stuck to the sides of his face like glue. With a few small movements of his feet and hands the boy knew that both appendages were bound and strapped to a chair.

With multiple blinks his eyes began to get used to the light and his surroundings became clear. There was a blue table in front of him, rust coating the legs and parts of the corners, the top just low enough to come up to the middle of his stomach, which slowly gurgled from lack of food. To his right was a rusted waste bucked with no more than three pieces of paper in it, the small useless objects seeming worthless. Other than the two items and the hanging lamp above him the room was completely empty. The clicking of heels on the hard, cracking floor indicated that Heero was not alone in the room.

"Heero Yuy," a confident, woman's voice announced. "Age, twenty two, height, 159 cm, weight, 47 kg, birthplace, L1 colony cluster," she began calling off, naming almost everything there ever was to know about Heero Yuy. She continued with his ethnicity, "Japanese, brown hair, blue eyes," she paused before calling out his military stature, "and ex- Gundam pilot of Wing Zero and formerly known as the perfect soldier." He heard her grunt a small laugh of a sort. "Quite a name you've earned for yourself, kid."

Heero did not respond. Merely because of the fact that he had no idea what she was talking about. L1 colony cluster, what the hell was that? He was born in Japan. He'd hardly been in the army, what was with the whole 'perfect soldier' recognition? Though he was hardly worried about this woman's well being, he wondered just what kind of drugs she was on. This woman was ludicrous, whatever this kidnapping was it was utterly and completely absurd.

"For the past three years you have been researching the unknown society, Black Star. You see, I would ask you how you came to know about Black Star but from following you for a year I already know that you won't answer."

Heero remained calm however gaining the knowledge that she had been following him and watching his every move for an entire year irked him. The ridiculousness of the situation reduced as he did recognize his efforts to reveal information on Black Star. He shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind as the woman spoke again.

"You may be wondering how it is that I've tracked you for so long. After all, one doesn't gain the title of perfect soldier for being a mere lackey in a war." She slammed her hands down onto the table and Heero almost immediately noticed that she had slender hands with perfectly manicured fingernails.

Again Heero got angry. What war, what on earth was wrong with this woman?

"We are simply better than you, Yuy, it's a fact. But," she paused and walked around the table and stood behind him and Heero, through all of the mystery, could not even glimpse at her face. It was hidden in shadows and never once peeked into the light, nor could he see anything of her; not her hair, clothing or even her shoes. The light above focused on him, and him alone, "we've come to realize that instead of killing you, your talents could be put to better use." Her tone now lifted and Heero could tell there was probably an awkward smirk on her lips. "So here's the verdict kid, either you die," she grunted and Heero's frown deepened, the feeling and verdict familiar to him though he couldn't quite place his finger on why, "or you join us."

Here was Heero Yuy's problem. There were three doors in front of him, each taunting him with where his path would lead, what the outcome would be. Behind door number one was death, something Heero hardly had any time to succumb to. In many ways he would rather die than join this horrid organization, however smart they may be their searches and reasoning for existing were quite odd and they, though Heero was never quite sure on his facts, had killed many people to get to the position they were in today. Behind door number two was to merely join the society and become another brain dead worker. Well, nix door number two. Lastly there was door number three. Door number three was strange for it was jarred, as if telling Heero that he'd already chosen it. His mind had already picked door number three. Its motif: devise a plan. This was something that Heero Yuy was very good at. So what was the plan? No idea in hell, he'd have to come up with it later. The brown haired man now realized that to get to door number three he had to go through door number two.

"So what is it, Yuy?" she whispered in his ear, the hairs on his neck prickling from her hot breath. Goosebumps rose to his flesh and, as she walked past him once again, Heero couldn't help but notice the faint but distinct scent of jasmine.

He didn't want to answer too quickly, that would for sure give him away, so instead he moved his eyes to where to guessed hers would be and glared, as if trying to tell her, 'there's no way in hell I'd ever join a society with you.' However through his glare did he respond, "deal, I'll join," was his monotonous reply. His hands were itching to be released from their confinements however this he would never show. He felt odd as she stood in the shadows, he could now see the outline of her form, her arms crossed and chest moving slightly with her even breaths. Still he could not see her face but he needn't see her face to know that she was smiling. After a few minutes of complete silence and staring she walked towards a door that Heero had yet to notice. How had it gotten there? It wasn't there mere moments ago, and he'd know, he inspected the entire room from top to bottom, every rusty corner to every cracked wall.

"Hmm," she mumbled as she placed her hand over the doorknob and turned it, the rusty squeal like nails on a chalk board. The horrific tune made the goose bumps run from Heero's arms to his legs. "Too easy, kid." She opened the door and stepped through letting it almost close behind her. However before it closed all the way she stopped it with her foot. "Oh, and by the way, you have four days to prove yourself," tapping her watch she laughed, "time's running out." With that she closed the door and plunged the Heero into darkness as the lamp above him went out as well.

Hearing a shuffle behind him Heero now realized that there had been three people in the room all along; himself, the woman who had interrogated him, and the person who ripped the bag from his head. She had not done it herself and had the person who did it stand into the farthest corner away from all of the light. He'd had a feeling that someone else was there. Knowing what was to come next Heero sighed mentally as a bag was shoved over his head and the last thing he could remember was darkness.

………………………………

Kind of a strange first chapter, eh? Well let me clarify some things before I'm barraged with questions. You'll come to know who the man in first part of the chapter is later but he's not from the GW or SM world and isn't very important in the story line. The woman however will show up often and, if you hadn't guessed already, is the same woman that interrogated Heero. Now, you'll learn about Heero's past later, as well as what the society Black Star really is. But for now, use your imagination! You never know, you could be right…

Ja, MidnightOpal


	2. Black Blood

**Black Star**

_**Chapter 2: Black blood**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.

_Heero…_

The brunettes eyes opened in a flash. Blinking he placed a hand to his head and allowed himself a minute to get over his momentary haziness. Sitting up, he remembered the odd interrogation he'd suffered and briefly wondered where he currently was. It was now that Heero realized that he was in such a strange place that he had to be dreaming.

It was as if he were sitting on a cloud, he couldn't quite feel solid ground beneath him however he wasn't falling, and a white ethereal mist surrounded him. Curls of it sifted through his hair and between his fingers like silk, the milky colored substance so opaque that Heero found he could barely see his hands in front of his face.

_Heero…_

His name… someone was calling his name. Slowly he reached out as his eyes darted quickly about, trying to pick up any movement or body shape. Slowly he stood and closed his eyes. If he wasn't going to be able to see anything he was going to have to use his other senses to find this person calling out his name. Silently he inhaled slowly. There was nothing to his right, nothing to his left, and nothing behind him. Silently he exhaled slowly. By the clicking of heels and the faint feeling of an oncoming silhouette he felt that someone was in front of him.

_Heero!_

His eyes opened quickly and twenty two year old Heero Yuy was staring into the violet eyes of a ten year old girl; a ten year old girl who was wearing something that was far too daring for her age. A short purple skirt adorned her legs, which was attached to a white skin tight suit which had awkward, translucent, pads protruding from her shoulders. A bow was attached to the small of her back as well as one right above her bosom, which held a very intricately cut crystal with daring spikes and sharp, pointed tips.

However her violet eyes betrayed her silly outfit and exposed to Heero the expansion of her knowledge. This was no ordinary girl, she had an aura that screamed wisdom and eyes that seemed to be hundreds…no, thousands of years old with knowledge. In fact, the first words out of Heero's mouth were not the usual interrogation of 'who are you' but rather…

"How old are you?"

The girl, as if expecting Heero's odd question, giggled and merely shook her head, her short raven hair covering her eyes for a brief moment. Looking back up to him she smiled broadly and abandoned her appearance of old age. "I don't know, I've lost count," she replied merrily as if it were something she was proud of.

Heero looked at her oddly before continuing with his own interrogation.

"Who are you?" he asked almost angrily. This girl did not seem familiar to him however there was something about her that Heero just couldn't place his finger on. She had this feeling about her, this air, that just couldn't be described and however good the feeling was it irked Heero to no end.

Smiling even broader than before, if possible, the girl's eyes danced with excitement. "I was hoping you'd ask. I just love introducing myself." She giggled at the strange look Heero gave her. "I," she bent down on one knee, crossed her left hand over her chest, and held her staff, which Heero had yet to notice from being so caught up in her eyes, in her right hand beside her, "am Sailor Saturn, Princess of the second largest planet in the solar system, and known to many unfortunate souls as the goddess of death." She grinned as she looked up from her bowing position. "But my friends just call me Tomoe Hotaru, or even Taru-chan!" She stood up quickly and Heero almost took a step back but refrained himself.

She was Sailor Saturn, a princess and a goddess? What was this girl on? Well, this _was_ a dream… but still, Heero didn't have dreams about odd ten year old girls calling themselves princesses and goddesses. Out of nowhere the girl giggled.

"I can assure you, Heero Yuy, this is no dream. Well, I guess in a way it is only I am really here." She paused and scrunched up her face. "I'm sorry," she sighed, "that was confusing. Just forget I ever said it." Her look became grim as she spoke again. "I, however, do not know if you'll be able to remember everything when you wake up," the young girl frowned and set her face in a way that told Heero she was ready to get down to business. She was about to continue when Heero held up his hand, silencing her for a brief moment.

"Where are we?" he asked sullenly, his eyes boring into hers trying to read all of the secrets that lie there. Lowering his hand he felt the once warm, welcoming mists become uninviting and wet, beads of water forming on his palm and latching onto his clothing.

Hotaru smiled a rueful smile and gripped her menacing staff tighter as she looked down towards the nonexistent ground. "Heero Yuy, you ask too many questions. All I can tell you now," she took a step back and began to disappear within the mist, "is that you are in grave danger. No gun will be of any use, Heero, not against these foes. Please," Heero could only hear her voice now as it got fainter and more distant. "Accept my kin and let them help you, in turn you can help them."

The mists began to part and Hotaru was no longer there, her voice however echoed in Heero's ears as he took a hesitant step along the path that the mist had created. Before him a shape began to emerge from the haze and Heero stopped in awe. In front of him was a large pair of doors, intricately carved symbols adorned them. The wood was old however the mighty doors held strong and Heero felt very small before them. The odd thing about the majestic doors was the fact that they were bound with heavy chains. The linked metal covered the doors, holding them closed and not letting whatever was behind it into this odd, mystical land.

Heero's hand reached up to touch one of the doors. Closing his eyes he felt years of knowledge surge through his body, events that had gone unseen and unheard of floated through his mind like a ghost. He drew his hand back only to place it hesitantly on the chains, oddly compelled by the silver links. His body gave a start, his mind cleared to the present as the door gave a violent jolt. The chains rattled hard as another seizure grasped the seemingly impossibly strong doors. The third jolt opened the doors just enough to let Heero see inside of them.

It was dark, however gusts of wind tousled his hair and Heero could tell that a storm of wind was wreaking havoc within. A void took shape before him, purple nothingness forming an odd construction by its own will. The form it took: a large blue eye, bloodshot and wide, pupil so small Heero could barely tell it was there, signified only by the smallest black dot adorning the center. It looked around frantically, up, down, left right, constantly moving in circles, trying to focus on some sort of object until the circling slowed down and eventually its demonic stare rested upon Heero's body.

"_Bring it to me_," the eye seemed to growl at him, besides the fact that Heero was at a loss for words on what it could possibly mean. Its voice was a mixture of a woman and a man, malevolent, frightening, and odd. Small black hands reached out and grabbed the lapels of Heero's shirt pulling him towards to door and trying to squeeze the boy between the chains.

"_Bring it, or sacrifice the bearer,"_ it said again, sending odd convulsing shivers down Heero's spine. The eye was so compelling, drawing a strange spell over him as Heero found he could not turn away, his own eyes, though he could not see them, were flashing from their dark haunting blue to a lighter shade matching that of the demonic eye and eventually beginning to loose all color.

"_Follow me and you shall live…"_ Many smaller eyes appeared behind the large one controlling Heero. Thousands popped out of nowhere, staring at Heero and laughing at his helpless state. More hands appeared and began to pull Heero's arms and legs within the door, the odd rubbery appendages stretching and snaking around them, pulling with unrivaled strength.

"_You are perfect." _If the eye had a mouth it surely would have been turn up in a twisted sneer. Heero, lost within his own mind, unprepared to fight foes of more than just humans, allowed the strange arms to pull him farther and farther within the large doors. "_You shall do my bidding."_ From within the door two womanly hands snaked around the black arms pulling Heero's body into the depths of the horrendous winds. Blood red nails slipped over his shoulders to his back where they swiftly dug into his back. Pulling the nails together, the strange pair of womanly arms drew blood from Heero's back in creating a ten pointed star.

Heero's lifeless body made no move to scream as black seemed to run through his newborn scars like watered down pain, filling each point of the star with its odd power. The black color then branched away swirling along his back, burning odd patterns into his skin. The final product; a delicate ten pointed star beneath burning sun rays yet above a sharp crescent moon, odd symbols filled the inside of the moon and ten were on the tip of each point of the star, each a symbol for one planet of the solar system, the tenth a symbol for the sun. On Heero's neck, beneath his hairline, a five pointed star formed.

Once the mystical drawings were carved into Heero's skin the feminine and bizarre black hands dropped his body to the nonexistent floor below him. His half naked body shivered as blood and black pooled beneath his back, mixing to form a red so deep that if one hadn't known better they would have sworn it was merely black. His lifeless eyes stared into the mist as Heero broke out into a cold sweat, the blood and black that had once exited his body now mixed and reentered the ten pointed wound.

His body convulsed violently as the black blood ran through his veins, appearing and disappearing visibly through his now pale skin. His fingers spread wide and shook and the black blood continued coursing through his veins until Heero was completely overcome with his new half demonic blood.

"_You are mine,"_ the malevolent voice whispered to Heero before, for the second time that day, all went black.

………………………………

Well, here's the second chapter. It's not quite as long as the first but I think it'll do. It was quite confusing so let me clear some things up. Heero wasn't dreaming however, he wasn't really there. His mind, not his body, was within the realm that Setsuna guards and, if you hadn't guessed already, the doors were the Gates of Time. I, however, cannot tell you why Hotaru is there instead of Setsuna or why the gates were chained. I can almost assure you that more people will show up in the next chapter and what happened to Heero's back, the odd tattoo, will also be clarified. But for how, I hope you like, and continue to review: )

Ja, MidnightOpal


	3. Drunken Hazard

**Black Star**

_**Chapter Three: Drunken Hazard**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.

The young girl peered at her glorified image in the mirror before her. Gorgeous eyes shimmered with excitement in the light from above her for today was the day that he was going to take their relationship one step further. The smirk on her glossy lips grew into a full fledged smile as she thought about her latest relationship. Despite the nasty turnabouts of her many others, she had a very strong feeling that her relationship with Duo Maxwell would end in all but heartbreak.

Grabbing her purse she stood and admired her reflection once more, straightening her small, low v-cut black dress and placing stray hairs on her head back where they belong. Finding all was well she barely leaped, unable to withhold her excitement as her doorbell rang. He was here.

Popping a mint into her mouth she strapped on her small black heels and slowly walked to the door, not wanting to seem to persistent and needy despite how excited she really was. Grasping the shiny knob of her apartment she took a deep breath before turning the knob and putting on a large 100 watt smile only to be greeted by a single red rose.

Gasping, the young girl 'aww'ed and took the rose into her house, placing it in a small clear vase on her table. She followed Duo out of her apartment and into his car.

"I figured we'd do something a little bit nicer today," he said, turning into a restaurant named _Seva. _Turning off his car he walked out and opened her door, helping her out of the low sports car.

"Why thank you," she giggled as he put his hand around her waist and led her into the fancy restaurant. They took their seats at a small candle lit table and began to softly chat with one another.

All seemed to be going well until Duo reached over the table and took her hands into his, a grim appearance on his face. "Look babe," he began as he looked into her eyes and frowned. The young girl knew it was serious yet inside she was smiling, he was going to take their relationship to the next level. "I've been thinking a lot about us, about me and you," she nodded.

"Same here," was her small and simple reply as she gave his hands a reassuring squeeze.

"But recently, I've been thinking more about me and what I need," he continued and she found it harder and harder to hold back her smile. "Babe…" here it comes! She thought, "I think we should break up."

Her happy smile turned upside down in a millisecond.

…………………………………………………

Heero woke up from his odd dream and started. That dream had been far too odd to be merely a figment of his imagination. After all, the little girl had said that it wasn't a dream, but was he really to believe some strange girl whom he'd never met before who, by the way, was calling herself a princess and a goddess? His only small clue to his dream being more than a dream was the dull pain in his back.

Oddly enough he was in his apartment, not in some jail cell as he thought he'd be in when the odd woman had interrogated him. Maybe the entire interrogation had been a dream also.

Maybe Heero Yuy was going crazy.

He stood up and walked slowly to his bathroom to splash water onto his face and relieve the odd tension he felt. He opened the mirror door above his sink and pulled out an aspirin, swallowing it without the need of water. Closing the mirror door he looked up and stared at his reflection. He was pale a sweaty and in dire need of a good shower.

Touching his face Heero stared at his reflection in awe. His skin felt so clammy that if he hadn't have known better he could have sworn he was sick. Splashing water onto his face he felt shaken by what occurred in his mind the night before. Wiping his face off with a towel he stared at his reflection once more. His face hadn't changed physically but something felt wrong, something seemed…_off. _Maybe the dream was more than merely a dream.

Maybe Heero Yuy was going crazy.

But despite the fact that he may be going crazy he had an strong craving for alcohol.

……………………………………….

Sitting down at the bar, the smell of alcohol strong in the air, Heero turned and placed his head within his hands. Despite his usual liking, the bar was crowded and he found that he could barely hear himself think, however oddly he felt he needed to be surrounded by people at the moment.

After ordering a beer Heero observed the people around him. Two seats to his left was an ordinary looking man; neat, clean, and over all professional looking with a red tie and a dark suit. He probably had two kids, a loving wife, and a house with a white picket fence. Well, he probably did have all of the previously mentioned things however by the way a gorgeous looking blonde in a red dress sauntered up to him this man was most likely cheating on his wife.

Sitting next to him directly on his left was a gorgeous, sultry looking woman. Blonde hair was let down in a torrent of curls, gorgeous hair that made Heero want to run his hands through it and smell it like he would a delicate rose. Looking down to her hand to see if she were married Heero found no ring on her left hand nor on her right. Suddenly an odd thought crossed his mind on how it would feel to have those smooth hands run over his body.

Strangely enough, since his odd yet tantalizing dream, Heero found his libido slowly yet surely rising. Never had he felt so attracted to a woman. Besides the fact that he actually _had _been attracted to a woman before he'd never had the sudden urge to run his fingers through a woman's hair or feel the curves of a feminine body. Well, no ring on any of her fingers didn't necessarily mean that the sultry woman didn't have a boyfriend. And besides, Heero wasn't much of a talker when it came to women. He didn't exactly have much experience in the playing field. Not that he really cared anyway.

He peeked out of the corner of his eye to examine her once more when another gorgeous woman walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. The woman next to Heero gave a gorgeous smile and kissed the woman standing above her deeply. With his fantasy of the beautiful woman next to him ruined Heero tried to look on the bright side and briefly wondered what a threesome would be like.

Shaking his head to rid himself of his odd sexual desires Heero turned to inspect the woman to his right. She was a complete and utter mess. Shot glasses surrounded her in an odd clutter as well as a few bronze beer bottles and her head was resting clumsily on her arm while her other hand reached out for another shot glass. Lifting her head slowly she quickly downed the drink despite her drowsy appearance.

Heero could almost immediately tell that the woman was completely wasted; her hair, which he could tell had once been put up in a nice do, hung around her face in an odd yet captivating way, making her look cute in her drunken haze as well as the slight pink stain across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

Slamming the shot glass down onto the table the woman grabbed an odd nearby toothpick and turned towards Heero, who was slightly taken aback by her bright eyes, though now glossy with intoxication. Staring directly into his eyes, pouting pink lips began to move and sound out slurred words.

"You know what I hate about men?" she slurred, her words inconsistent and odd. She looked like a sad, lost puppy and Heero found that he could only stare in slight awe at the drunk woman. Was she talking to him? Well if she was or was not she continued anyway, looking down towards her hand where the toothpick lie. "It's the fact that they can take your heart and make you feel so warm and needed and loved…" she petted the toothpick and smile.

She was quiet for awhile until she broke out into a furious frown and abruptly snapped the toothpick in two. "And then snap it in two like the mother fuckers they all really are." Tossing the now broken toothpick aside she turned to Heero and spoke again.

"Am I ugly?"

Heero, slightly taken aback by her peculiar question, inspected the woman top to bottom. Long, soft looking legs, slim yet having large breasts and a pretty face. This woman was far from ugly but wasn't his definition of gorgeous and not quite as pretty as the woman to his left.

"No," was his curt reply before turning back around in his seat and taking a sip from his beer but not before hearing the unusual girl mumble something along the lines of 'yeah, that's what they all say'. The liquid slid down his throat like water on a sizzling pan, quenching the thirst he'd had for so long and satisfying his urge for a good drink. He tried to focus on something besides the woman to his right but found it slightly annoying that she was staring at him so hard.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, slightly annoyed. If the woman caught onto his tone she didn't show it.

"I know you…" she trailed off, her eyebrows creasing trying to sort out the images in her mind of where she could have possibly known him from. Dark, unruly hair… fair skin, yet his eyes, instead of being the dark blue she remembered were almost as light as the color of ice. "You…" she mumbled softly, her drunkenness showing as she stepped off of the stool she was sitting on and stumbled, just barely catching herself on the place where she had just stood from, the imprint of her butt still there and still warm.

Giggling she poked him in the arm. "I know you…" she slurred taking a wobbly step forward and almost fell if Heero hadn't have grabbed her arm nonchalantly. "You live right next to me!" she smiled as if she'd won some prize and her eyes flashed as if she'd remembered something from long ago that struck up a happy memory.

Snapping her fingers she looked down a clucked her tongue. "Y… Y… oh what was it? Yuy… am I right, Heero Yuy?" at his nod she continued. "That's right, I brought you over a plate of cookies! I remember you looked at me as if I were some kind of broad trying to hop on your stallion after one date! Odd boy you are, Yuy, odd boy."

Heero turned and watched her stumble towards the glass doors leading out of the bar and mentally winced as she walked right into one, stumbling back in surprise before placing her hand on it in wonder. "I could have sworn it said automatic door…" she mumbled before pushing it to try to open it. The door didn't budge. And that was simply because there was a handle and a sign that specifically said 'PULL.'

Heero groaned before paying for his drink and walking over to his next door neighbor who was still struggling with the door. Great, what a nice way to ruin his night.

"Damn thing won't budge…" she growled, still trying to push it open and proceeded to fall backwards as Heero merely pulled the door open. He caught her on her way down and pulled her upright again, holding her firmly by the top of her arm. Opening the door all the way he guided her through and walked out behind her.

The night's summer air felt good on his skin and the breeze that sifted through his hair seemed to blow away all of the nasty alcohol feeling from the bar. The drunk woman stumbled ahead of him in her high heels before tripping and falling on her butt. "Damn shoes…" she muttered before taking them off and standing up, proceeding to walk barefooted to the left. Heero grabbed her shoulders before she went to far and turned her to the right, where she walked without hesitation.

The brunette man felt like groaning but held it in as she stumbled forwards, not a care in the world at where she was going, or even really knowing where she was going. "Heero, where shall we go on this fine night?" she asked as she turned to face him and suddenly, Heero found that she wasn't quite gorgeous but she wasn't just pretty anymore. Hair falling from its bun into her eyes made the jade iris' look sexy as she held her small black purse in one hand and her shoes in the other. Her tight fitting black dress showed all of her curves and as one little strap had fallen from its proper place above her shoulder and now hung limply almost to her elbow Heero could see just a bit more of the swells of her breasts.

"Well?" she asked, leaning towards him, wide eyed.

Heero walked up to her and grabbed her arm as he had before. "Home," he grunted out and she frowned. "Where's your car?"

"My car?" she asked, trying to pull her arm away from Heero's iron grasp. "Oh honey, I don't have a car." She said waving her hand as if it were no problem. Heero seriously wished to know what he had done to deserve having to take home a drunk woman that lived right next to him.

"Then we're walking home," he said as he proceeded to almost drag her towards their apartments. He was immensely surprised when she jerked her arm out of his grip with a rivaling strength.

Pouting at him she backed up. "But I don't wanna go home," she slurred, rubbing her now red arm. All of a sudden her pouting frown turned into a happy smile. "I know!" she said, "let's go dancing!"

Heero walked closer to her as she wobbled on her own feet, even hiccupping a few times. "Dancing?" he said as walked up to her and placed one arm on her back below her shoulders and bent down and placed his other arm under the back of her knees, promptly picking her up bridal style. "No, we're going home." He said angrily as he looked down and glared at her. Lucky for him there was barely anyone around to hear her yelps of protest.

Though her screams of disapproval were heard by everyone that did pass them yet Heero managed to keep her in his grip all the way to their apartments. Reaching the door he set her down and grabbed her arm as she began to lean backwards. Letting her go for a moment he turned and opened the door leading inside and turned around to tell her to walk through but his words caught in his throat.

She was sauntering up to Heero and with his oddly rising libido, the twenty-two year old found he could not turn away from her. "Heero?" she said softly as she walked right in front of him, her body mere inches away from his. She was only slightly shorter than he was and that made it easier for him to look in her jade eyes.

"Hm?" he grunted, no emotion showing in his eyes despite the odd sexual feeling stirring within his body. She placed both of her hands on his chest and leaned in close to his face.

"Tell me," she said. "Why would any man tell me they love me and then break my heart?" He could smell the alcohol on her breath as she spoke to him. "Coming from a man's point of view," she added.

Heero looked down at her and frowned. "I wouldn't know," he said and she looked up to him, confused. "I've never told a girl I love her." He was about to proceed when she slowly brushed her lips over his.

Her eyes were barely open as she spoke. "And why haven't you told a girl you love her?" she asked as she kissed him once more, Heero blaming his odd sexual desire on allowing her to do it and him not do anything about it.

Once she removed her lips from his Heero responded. "Because I've never found a girl that I really love." He figured that was the answer most girls liked to hear and fed it to her straight as he grabbed her shoulders and slightly pushed her away. "And you need to get in bed." He opened the door again and stepped through it, thinking she'd immediately follow. However he didn't feel her follow behind him and turned around to see her staring at him, no frown nor smile on her lips, eyes not wide yet looking at him in slight fascination. Heero mentally sighed and walked back out of the door. Instead of grabbing her arm harshly like he had many times earlier that night he made a softer gesture by taking her hand in his own. Giving it a slight pull she followed him like an obedient dog through the doors and up the stairs towards their apartments.

Once they reached her door Heero let go of her hand and told her to get out her key. She obeyed and placed her purse on the railing, shuffling through it trying to find her key, however in her drunken clumsiness she knocked her purse over by accident sending the things within careening to the floor and her key and two other objects through a vent.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she cried, running over to the vent as if she were going to be able to get her key from it. "You have got to be kidding me." Groaning in frustration she sat down and buried her head within her hands. "Could this night get any worse?"

"Don't say that, you'll jinx yourself," Heero said roughly as he handed her the purse she had dropped, its items, besides the key and two other things, now replaced inside of it. Pulling her back up he handed her his cell phone. "Is there anyone you can call?"

The girl sighed. "Nope… There's just little ole me, left alone in Japan…" The girl trailed off, wallowing in her own self pity.

Heero frowned. He wasn't about to have her check into some hotel for one night. He barely knew this woman, yes, and there was reason for him to be on his guard but at the moment there was no reason to be rude to a girl in need. Feeling strange at such a bold statement he turned and walked to his door, opening it with his own key and said, "Then you'll just have to stay with me tonight."

She looked at him as if he were mad. "Heero," she said, "Do you even remember what my name is?" at his slight shake of head she continued. "Are you just going to let some drunk girl into your apartment that you barely even know? What if I turned out to be a murderer or something?" she asked as, despite her own refusal, she followed him into his apartment.

"Even if you were a murderer, which I'm pretty sure you're not, I think I would be able to handle myself," he grunted almost monotonously as she stared in awe at his bare apartment. He disappeared for a few moments and she inspected it further. There was a couch and a table in the living room/ kitchen as well as a small television. The kitchen barely had any food in it and was amazingly clean. Down the small hall where Heero had disappeared was a bedroom, a bathroom and a small study, where a desk a laptop, a lamp and one bookcase was all that adorned the room.

Coming back into view Heero tossed a long, light blue, long sleeved shirt at her that buttoned down the middle. "You can wear that to sleep in. If you wake up in the middle of the night and you're thirsty, cups are in the second cabinet, feel free to grab some water and the bathroom is right here." As he pointed to the various things she realized now that he was wearing now shirt and had quite the muscles.

"Thank you…" she said quietly, holding the shirt up to cover her blush. He was about to close his bedroom door when she spoke up again. "Oh, and Heero?" he turned and looked at her. "It's Makoto, remember? Makoto Kino." And for the first time that night she actually saw him grin, which, might she add, he looked way cuter with rather than his usual stoic look. "You should smile more often, you look cuter," she giggled as she received merely a grunt and the shut of his door.

She changed into the blue shirt, which barely covered her underwear, and hopped onto the couch, her drunkenness beginning to fade yet she was still intoxicated. Grabbing the blanket that resided on the arm of the couch, Makoto placed it over her and tried to fall asleep…

…and two hours later she was still staring at his pasty white ceiling. It was odd, wasn't she supposed to be able to fall asleep easily? She was drunk after all… groaning she realized it was probably the couch that was making her night so difficult, she never really could fall asleep on couches for some odd reason. They hurt her back. Maybe she was just cold… Sitting up she grabbed a pillow and walked to Heero's door, thinking that she'd merely wake him up and ask him for an extra blanket. Wrapping her arms around the pillow and holding it close to her chest she pushed down on the door knob and opened his door.

His bedroom was actually quite nice. It was small and homey, his bed in the middle of it with a small bedside table on one side and a window on the other, the moonlight illuminating the room. In one corner there was a small chair and a dresser and on the opposite side were his closet and the connecting door to his bathroom. His white walls were bare.

Walking to the edge of his bed she stared at Heero. His facial features were much softer as he slept and the moonlight flittering across his skin made his face tempting to touch. He lay on only one side of the bed in a straight line, one arm beneath his pillow and one hanging off the bed. He looked adorable, like a young boy who'd—

Her small fantasy was interrupted as Heero, being the light sleeper he was, opened his eyes. He stared at nothing for a few moments while Makoto pulled the pillow up and covered her mouth with it, holding the red object like a teddy bear. Slowly his eyes turned and met hers.

"What is it?" he whispered almost harshly, making Makoto take a small step backwards. Still he didn't move from his position on his bed, didn't sit up, he hadn't moved his arms.

"I…I just couldn't sleep…" Makoto had forgotten her excuse to come into his room, the real answer dying on her lips as he reached his left arm over and pulled down the other side of his covers on the other side of his bed. His offering done he readjusted his pillow and closed his eyes once more.

Makoto almost gaped at him. Was he suggesting that she get in bed with him? His bed was hardly meant for two people! However, despite its small stature it did look nice and cozy compared to the stiff couch she'd been trying to sleep on. Taking a hesitant step forwards she slowly got onto his bed and pulled his covers over her cold body. His bed was extremely comfortable, however Makoto found that while lying on his bed it was almost impossible not to touch him.

She was surprised when Heero shifted and turned over to face her, his ice blue eyes looking sexually haunting with what light illuminated the room. He stared at her for a few moments before surprising her even more by reaching his hand over her head and pulling the clip from her hair that held her bun up and tossing it onto the ground before closing his eyes, still facing her, and trying to fall back asleep.

Makoto opened her mouth to say something but let her words sink back into her throat. Balling her hands into fists she pressed them to his chest and tucked her head beneath his. She felt odd but, with the warmth of his chest and his even breathing into her hair she found it quite easy to fall asleep.

………………………………………

Well, there's another odd chapter. I'd say it's slight OOCness on Heero's part but the fact is, is that he's been changed. You, the reader, know that what he experienced was more than just a dream, however Heero doesn't know that. He's become something that I will explain in the next chapter or so. Here I just wanted to get some more characters in before it becomes too boring with just Heero. Well I do hope you liked and reviews are always welcome : )

Ja, MidnightOpal


	4. Imprisonment

**Black Star**

**_Chapter Four: Imprisonment_**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing

…………………………..

Yayoi Mamoto was a girl of small stature. Long, baggy jeans hung loosely around her waist as she rested her head in her palm, idly toying and spinning a pencil that lay on the top of the cashiers table. Business had been slow lately, not many people had any interest in insignificant fabrics or buttons when clothing stores provided those negligible items. The only people who even came near the store were hippies who liked to slit the side of their pants and put rainbow cloths there to make the bells bigger and old ladies who wanted to make shirts for their grandchildren. At least, that's the way she perceived it.

Glancing behind the table she clicked her tongue at the small package that lay in one of the deteriorating cubbies. White paint flakes dusted the top from the slowly crumbling hole. It struck Yayoi as strange to see the small package there. Why would anyone send a package this small to a mere fabric store? Sure it could be filled with buttons and what not, but then it would be in the back room, most likely gathering more dust than it was in its current spot. It was put behind the counter for a reason. Tilting her head to the side, Yayoi reached down to grab it…

And as the bells on the door chimed, any reason why the beautiful, leggy, dark haired woman was sauntering through the small store stymied her. With impressively high heals and a substantial body build, the woman moved eloquently and left a burning impression of a gliding swan within Yayoi's mind.

The young girl rose from her sloppy position and silently gaped in awe at the woman before her. With gorgeous garnet eyes staring into her own, the woman stopped at the front of the cashiers table and smiled softly as Yayoi gulped and fumbled with her pencil, abruptly dropping said item to the ground and not giving it another petty thought.

Coughing lightly she tried to hide the blush on her face and seem busy with inconsequential papers. "C-can I help you?" she stammered, wondering why on Earth a woman like this was shopping within a small fabric shop.

Flipping her strikingly long hair over her shoulder the mature looking woman took her small purse off of her shoulder and placed it dexterously onto the cashiers table. Still without responding to Yayoi (who was apprehensive as to what this woman could possibly want) she reached within her bag and pulled out a small, beige business card. Written onto the card were small, curvilinear letters that read words that were inconvenient to Yayoi except for the largest letters on the center of the card: Dr. Marin.

Yayoi stared hard at the card that the woman placed in front of her, setting it on the counter with an audible 'snap!' Dr. Marin. Seijiro Marin, a man that she knew quite well, however had not heard from in quite some time. He was her uncle.

"Are you Yayoi Mamoto?" Yayoi jumped at the mention of her name, the woman's voice pleasant despite its mature tone.

Glancing down at the card, Yayoi was suddenly washed over with suspicion. She glanced up at the woman in front of her and then, once again, regarded the card in front of her. "Who's asking?" she countered, her eyebrows now furrowed, chocolate iris' swimming with questions.

"My name is Setsuna Meioh. I was a friend of your uncles."

It was quiet for a moment while Yayoi waited for the woman to continue. She blinked when 'Setsuna' neither moved, nor made an effort to explain any more. Frowning, Yayoi got nervous and began to chew hastily on her thumb nail. "And what does that have to do with me?"

Setsuna grinned and pushed Dr Marin's card closer to his niece. "When we departed from an archeological dig in Morocco, there was something he wanted to give me," glancing down at Yayoi, she gave her sweetest smile and indolently played with a chic golden necklace around her neck. "I believe he sent it here."

"Well, nothing's been sent he—," Yayoi paused as she remembered the atypical package that lay behind the counter. Pushing herself away from the counter, Yayoi kneeled down and grasped the parcel in her hand. It was not but the size of her dainty palm and as she stood up, the young girl placed the tiny square on the table.

When Setsuna languidly reached out for it, Yayoi brusquely pulled it back. "How," she asked fiercely, the mysticism and the awe of the woman before her diminishing, "do I know this belongs to you?" Beauty and politeness aside, the woman seemed… too nonchalant and a glint in her eye as well as the unremitting grin on her lips hinted that she knew far more than Yayoi could ever even dream of. Her hand gripped the package as skepticism overruled her fascination.

"I do believe it has my name on it."

Frowning, Yayoi looked down and stifled a gasped. There, written in plain black, capital letters was the name 'SETSUNA MEIOH.' Letting go she gaped at the package as questions penetrated her brain like a machine gun with the trigger stuck.

Setsuna took the package and Yayoi found she could do nothing to stop her. She gave no thanks, and didn't even take her uncle's card from the cashiers table as she gracefully strode out of the cloth shop.

That, Yayoi decided, was one of the strangest transactions she'd ever made in her entire life. But little did she know that getting rid of that package saved her from almost certain death.

……………………………………….

_Ba bump_… _ba bump_… Heero's eyes opened merely a fraction as the strange sound infiltrated his ears. _Ba bump_… _ba bump_… another echo, almost identical to the first, correlated with the strange noise. It was deep, oddly familiar, and constantly thrummed loudly within his ears. Hollow, even beats caused his eyes to open completely as Heero found he couldn't ignore the incessant resonance within his ears anymore. Standing up out of his bed, Heero slinked over to the bathroom that conjoined with his room. Before he could reach the door knob, one of the intertwining beats in his ears began the thrum faster and within his bathroom he heard the sound of someone regurgitating. The past twenty four hours came rushing back to him in a flash. The dreams, the drunkenness, his weird next door neighbor…

The bathroom toilet flushed and Heero backed away from the bathroom door just as a sick looking Makoto emerged from it, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked up, just noticing Heero standing there and jumped backwards, placing a hand over her heart and heaving out a breath as she realized it was just him. For the brief moment when she jumped one of the beats within Heero's ears quickened and slowed.

To Heero, the conclusion of what the persistent beating within his ears was that he was hearing his own heart beat. The only thing that caused his arm hair to stand on end was the fact that he could hear _Makoto's _heart beating as well. It just simply wasn't humanly possible.

Now that he realized it, Heero found that all of his senses were extremely heightened. His could feel every fiber on the carpet beneath his feet, his ears could hear Makoto's even breathing, her heart beat, people talking as they walked outside of the building and even the soft classical music of a car that passed on a road unknown to him. He could see a tiny spider, hiding in the crook between his chair and the floor, as well as the smallest scratches on the door hinges to his bathroom. Lastly, and worst of all, he could smell her vomit as if he'd been over the toilet before she'd flushed and took in a deep breath. Everything was just so clear and obvious.

His revelation was cut short as he heard Makoto mumble something to his left.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not thinking he'd be able to hear her. She looked towards the ground, afraid of his reaction to her blunt regurgitation.

Deciding to disregard her statement and act like he didn't hear her, Heero walked to the door to his bathroom. Kneeling, he placed a finger over the seemingly microscopic scratches he could see and felt like he could feel tiny crevices on his finger tear from the touch. Bending farther down Heero was about to take a closer look when his back broke out in immense pain. Biting back a hiss of agony he abandoned his bent position and stood back up.

In the process of standing he heard the brunette gasp behind him. She took a step towards him. "Heero… what happened to y—." Without turning around Heero could tell she was reaching a hand out towards his back. Acting quickly his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a tight grasp, much harder than he had the night before. Makoto hadn't even noticed him turn around.

"Car crash." He mumbled his lie gruffly as he squeezed her wrist tighter. She winced in pain and tried to pull it back fruitlessly. Realizing that he wasn't going to let go Makoto's other hand reached out to try and pry his fingers from her bruising wrist. After her hand had so much as twitched, Heero's other hand shot out and grasped it too.

"Heero…" she managed to get out, squinting one eye from the strenuous act of trying to pull her wrists away. "You're hurting me."

Disregarding her statement Heero squeezed tighter and watched as her hands started to turn an ugly shade of purple. Looking down at her face Heero could see now that her eyes were closed in pain as she tried to pry her wrists from his hands by leaning as far as she could backwards, putting all of her weight into it.

"Heero please! Let—," she gasped as he roughly jerked her body upwards and slammed her against his bedroom wall, pinning her to the pasty drywall by her neck. Gasping for air Makoto clawed ineffectively at his powerful grasp. She glanced down at his hand and her eyes widened. Shock infiltrated her brain as she almost fainted from the sight and loss of oxygen. Surging through Heero's veins was what looked like black ink. It came in pulses and flowed through his arms and hands like blood.

"Makoto," she looked up to Heero, frightened beyond her own belief. "Go," he stated callously, "home."

With that he let go and allowed her to choke in a few precious gulps of air before she crawled hastily towards his bedroom door. He knew she was gone in an instant when the door to his apartment slammed shut.

As soon as she left Heero let out the groan of pain he'd been holding back. Perspiration began to bubble on his forehead as he collapsed to the ground, panting as if he'd run a marathon with cement blocks as feet. Trying to grip at something nonexistent Heero had to work hard to bite back screams of pain.

Pushing himself up on all fours he watched in amazement as black blood ran through his veins and surged pain, but astonishingly power, through his body. He could hear his own blood pulsing through his entire being. The air in his lungs from his gasping breath penetrated his ears and his organs pulsating with blood overpowered even that. White dots blurred his vision and eventually took away Heero's sight

_What is happening?_

The pain began to subside, and Heero could hardly hear all of the extremities he could before. Peering down at his hands he noticed that he could actually see his surroundings however no longer see the black blood coursing through his body. Catching his breath he wondered just what that surge of power had been. Placing a hand to his forehead he wiped the sweat of and stared at the glistening hand stoically. Wiping it on the carpet he pushed himself upwards when the pain returned in his back.

So caught off guard, Heero was not able to keep the shout of pain from gurgling from the depths of his throat. Collapsing once more to his floor he shut his eyes tightly in pain and he gritted his teeth, squeezing his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white.

Instead of the sharp pain he'd felt before this new feeling was like a burning sensation, hot and fire-like as it traveled along his skin. It started directly in the center of his back and traveled out in ten different directions, curling over his body. Heero looked down to his chest and abdomen in astonishment as black, curvy markings curled over them. Holding out his arms he realized that they too were being covered in the strange markings. Some looked familiar to him; he recognized them from his research on the strange secret society 'Black Star.'

He could only really distinguish two markings, the rest lost in a maze of unknown markings and swirls. An L shaped mark with a line across the top he recognized as power, however the two dots on the left side indicated control. Three rings surrounded both his wrists and looked vaguely familiar. Heero tried to remember what they meant. Closing his eyes and trying to ignore the burning pain he searched through his brain like a library. He tried to remember back when he was researching their symbols… what were the three rings? Why couldn't he remember? Taking a deep breath in Heero tried to tune out everything around him. His facial muscles relaxed and his hands spread out, breaking from their gripping balls. Three rings… three rings… it was on the tip of his tongue…

"_Imprisonment."_

Heero's eyes opened. Dark blue irises swiveled around for who'd spoken as he noticed that he was no longer in his room. Though he wasn't in his home Heero easily remembered the strange plane he currently resided. White mist surrounded him, hazy, curly streams eased the burning on his back and Heero, despite the pain, pushed himself up in a standing position. Forcing himself to stand straight from his hunched position Heero pulled his head up and looked wearily at the gate in front of him.

The large, bloodshot eye was staring directly at him. Heero ignored the abnormality of the entire situation and stared back at it with as much fervor as he could muster. However, staring into its pupil made everything around Heero seem to disintegrate. His eye color changed from it's usual dark blue, to a frigid ice like color. He was being hypnotized, the whirring inside the gate, the beat of his own heart, his even breath… all of these things were setting Heero into a state where all he could do was listen. Eyelids half covering his now ice blue eyes Heero stared in submission as his arms went limp to his waist.

"_Test one, my pet,"_ the malevolent voice of the eye spoke to him. Flashes of a brown haired girl with green eyes flooded into Heero's brain. Each one clicked faster and faster until all he could see was a blur of the same woman.

"Kino Makoto…" he spoke in a trance.

The eye hummed a grin. _"Kill her."_

……………………

**Important AN: **I've noticed that some of you have commented that it's a Makoto/Heero pairing. Yes, it may have been slightly implied in the last chapter, however, I never said they were going to be together… he he he. In fact, I never even said there would be any pairings. But there might be. Or there might not be. But probably. Or not. You'll just have to wait and see.

Also, yes, I know, I've completely changed some things. Though minor they may seem they're actually very important, you might want to go back to the first chapters and re-read them to notice my latest revisions. I noticed myself that I hadn't quite figured out where I wanted this story to go and rushed into getting it out. Sooo I fixed some things and decided on an even better plotline than the one I'd had before.

Though the part with Setsuna was really random I _promise _that everything, _everything _(well mostly everything, including the changes I've made)will be cleared up in the next chapter and many, many other characters will make their appearances. There will be a conversation between Pluto and Neo-Queen Serenity that will set all of the facts straight. HA! Bet you didn't know Neo-Queen Serenity was going to be in the story. How is it possible you ask, without Makoto being a Senshi and in the palace? He he he, read the next chapter and you'll know!

Oh, and Yayoi Mamoto was not important. She'll never show up again.

Ciao, MidnightOpal


	5. Foolish Mistakes

**Black Star**

_**Chapter Five: Foolish Mistakes **_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing

**A/N**: Sorry this took so gosh darn long to get out. I had to send my computer to Dell like, three freaking times with the same problem to get fixed. They didn't _really_ fix it each time. Boo… I hate you Dell.

…………………………………

"— _and that is why Neo-Queen Serenity has issued a—."_

Minako Aino stared blankly at the colored TV screen, raised her arm and dispassionately pushed the red, soft button on her remote. The speaker froze and disappeared as the power immediately cut off with a small 'snap'. She held her arm there a moment, finger poised over the power button, before slowly lowering it to her side on the couch. The blonde haired bombshell stared at her distorted image in the televisions glassy face and frowned. Staring at herself was like looking into the eyes of someone she didn't know.

Things had been complicated for her lately. Dreams of odd places and odd people plagued her daily and nightly thoughts. Her dreams, in fact, had been so vivid it was becoming hard for Minako to distinguish imaginary from reality. They just felt so goddamned _real._ Sometimes she felt as if her life in Crystal Tokyo was a dream, like scripted lines were fed from her mouth each day and sometimes she would watch her own self from afar, confused. Which life was real? Which Minako was she? _Who was she?_

Minako stood slowly, pulling her eyes away from her confused reflection, and walked over to the glass doors that led to the balcony of her apartment. She placed her hands to the glass and relished in the cool touch she received. Placing her forehead to the glass she smiled and looked down at the bustling city. It was smart of her to take the day off from work today; the city was unnaturally busy this morning. She looked out at the suns tangerine rays peeking over the building tops and breathed out a sigh of relief. Her breath fogged on the thick glass and Minako glanced down and the misty circle. Something… something had been written on her window.

Taking her hands away for fear of ruining the writing she breathed again onto the glass door. Following the line drawn beneath her breath, she moved down and then up in a single letter. She breathed around the one letter but no other shapes were drawn. She drew over the one letter and repeated it over and over again within her head.

"_V…"_ she repeated. "V… what is so important about a V?" Her frown deepened. Wait… how had this _V _been written on her door in the first place? She grasped the handle of the door she could have sworn she locked the night before, and pulled. The door slid open easily and glided along the set tracks. Stepping out into the warm morning she closed her door behind her and grasped the wooden railing of her balcony. The intruder could have crawled up the balcony, broke into her door and—

Her play by play of the break in was cut short as something caught Minako's eye. Gripping the balcony so tight her knuckles turned white, Minako leaned far over and peered down at the sidewalk below her. Stumbling below her apartment was a girl around her own age. She looked confused and worried as she held her arms around her stomach in what seemed like protection. She didn't look familiar, she didn't seem familiar in any way at all, but somehow Minako was drawn to her.

"Hey," she whispered quietly, eyes squinting in concentration. What she hadn't expected was the girls face to bolt up like Minako had screamed the phrase down to her. Minako was confused. Her apartment was on the fifth floor and with the city bustle it was impossible for the girl to hear the small utter. Leaning farther over the balcony her eyes and the strange girl's eyes connected and something was passed between them. Minako wasn't quite sure what it was, but something had passed between them. The girl's eyebrows creased in confusion and her lips moved in a small phrase, and before long she walked away. Through the city bustle and being so far away from the girl Minako knew it was impossible for her to hear her. However, despite her obvious knowledge a silent "_V…"_ whispered in her ear. Letting go of the balcony she bolted inside to grab her keys.

…………………………………………………….

"You look so different with glasses on. Let alone a book in your hands."

Neo-Queen Serenity glanced up from her trashy romance novel and smiled. "Setsuna," she spoke softly. "You're back much earlier than I had expected." Taking off her glasses and setting the book down on her desk she clasped her hands in front of her. "How was the dig?"

Reaching into her coat pocket, Setsuna retrieved the small package she'd received from the cloth shop. "Prosperous," she grinned. She placed it on the Queen's desk and shoved it towards her.

Before the package could fly off of the desk, Neo-Queen Serenity stopped it with her own hand. Looking down at the brown parcel beneath her hands the Queens' eyes seemed to swim with sadness. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Now before you dismiss me," Setsuna cut her off, seriousness blocking her usually friendly eyes, "would you like to tell me why you had me dig this up?"

Picking the package up and holding it in her palm the Queen sighed. Not looking up from the item she responded lazily. "Not really," she drawled out, propping her head up with her other hand and staring at the package with a bored expression.

"But you are," came Setsuna's voice in front of her.

The Queen blinked slowly and sighed again, dropping her hand with the package to the table softly. "But I am," she replied, still not looking up. Reaching her hand out she gestured to the leather seat on the other side of her desk. "Take a seat, this may take awhile."

Without moving from her standing position Setsuna spoke. "It has to do with Black Star, doesn't it?" She stared down at her Queen with penetrating eyes, causing the woman to look down at her cherry wood desk and draw little circles upon the top.

"Hotaru can't handle them on her own—,"

"What makes you think so?"

"They've already infiltrated a body," the Queen spoke strongly, her tired crystal blue eyes now looking directly into Setsuna's. The long haired woman now took the seat that her Queen had offered moments before. "They pulled him into the dreamscape and then transported him to the Gates of Time. Hotaru confronted him but was pulled away to the Underworld." Setsuna interrupted.

"Why would Hotaru leave someone unattended at the Gates of Time? She knows better than that." Setsuna was surprised she hadn't felt the infiltration herself. Even Hotaru would have felt it and intervened. If she herself couldn't sense it and neither could _Hotaru_, then surely this enemy was extremely strong…

Neo-Queen Serenity stood as Setsuna crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. "Because a spirit arrived at the Underworld with a wound from the Blade of Fate." She picked a random book from her shelf, brushed the dust from it and placed it back where she'd plucked it from. She heard Setsuna lean forward in her chair, the leather moaning softly at her action.

"The blade forged from the same stone as the Crystal Sword?"

The Queen grimaced at the memory of her suicidal actions millions of years ago and brushed her hands over the many books on one of her shelves before nodding to Setsuna's question. "Only this blade, according to legend, was stolen by Beryl in her first attack on the Moon Kingdom."

"Then they're from the Dark Moon Kingdom." Setsuna stated as she peered at her seemingly timid Queen. The blonde haired woman seemed reluctant to make eye contact with the Senshi of Time or even look up at her face. There was something troubling on her mind that much Setsuna could tell.

Neo-Queen Serenity sighed and held up a finger. "Not entirely," she said, still not looking towards Setsuna. Sighing again her hand dropped from the bookshelf she'd been toying with. "I think…" she paused before turning to Setsuna. "I think that Guardian Chaos and it's core seed have been reborn within the Galaxy Cauldron."

Setsuna seemed to scowl. "That's absurd," she muttered quietly yet harshly. She hadn't meant the words to come out so hard but the statement shocked her. The reaction was quick and the Time Keeper immediately regretted her harsh output from the look on Neo-Queen Serenity's face. In fact, what her Queen said hadn't even seemed so absurd; it was merely that Setsuna feared she was right.

"How so?" Neo-Queen Serenity asked, glancing at Setsuna out of the corner of her eyes before fiddling with the silver necklace around her neck. It was a symbol of love her husband had given her on her birthday not but two years ago. Rubbing her fingers over the metal, warm from her skin, she traced the thin lettering of 'love' to placate her nervousness.

"You heard Cosmos Seed's Guardian fairy, they melted into the sea of the Cauldron," Setsuna tried to reassure herself and her Queen of the possible oncoming tragedy. However, as hard as she tried to block the possibility from her mind she knew the very next words that were going to come out of her Queen's mouth.

Neo-Queen Serenity took a step towards one of her loyal Senshi. "Yes but she also said that they _may _be reborn, Setsuna. To destroy Chaos, I had to destroy the Cauldron as well." A look of remorse spread across her face as she ran a hand through her bangs. "I did neither of those things years ago, and now Chaos has resurfaced." Her throat became tight as memories of her final battle infiltrated her mind. "As long as the Cauldron exists, stars will be born." Sifting through her memories, her words from the past seemed to find their way out of her lips. "And as long as stars are born, the battle will never end."

Setsuna's eyes softened at her Queen's heartfelt speech. Standing from the chair she embraced her long time friend. Softly Neo-Queen Serenity wrapped her small arms around the taller woman's torso, gripping the strong fabric of her shirt in an effort to pull herself closer. Setsuna petted her head, but cooing wasn't her thing. "I can't say you're wrong Usagi," she said, using the woman's real name, "but I can't say you're right either." She noticed the small girl seem to shrink in her arms and begin to tremble. Sighing she patted her Queens back and tried to reassure her. "It can't be Chaos, Usa-chan. Sailor Cosmos faced off with Chaos and ran away. Cosmos hasn't surfaced yet." Setsuna blinked as what came out of her own mouth registered in her mind. She was right… Sailor Cosmos hadn't surfaced yet. It couldn't be Chaos…

Pulling herself away, Neo-Queen Serenity wiped her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. There seemed to be some relief in her posture but worry still consumed her eyes. "You're right…" she whispered, walking back over to the seat behind her desk and sitting herself down. Propping her head upon her hands the Queen of Crystal Tokyo pulled in a huge gulp of air and slowly let it out. It was now that Setsuna noticed the clear trails of tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. "Even still, Setsuna, I can't do this without them," she mumbled, shaking her head.

Setsuna's worry tripled as she watched the Queen she'd known to be so strong, crumble at the thought of her previous friends. She'd been so tough throughout the entire ordeal of letting them go but it seemed like all of the hurt was surging forwards within her mind. "Usagi—."

"I let them go because the plight of the world was that of men. There was nothing we could do back then and it was not our job to deal with Mobile Suits. Those are gone now Setsuna and all of the colonies are deceased. The people don't even _remember _the colonies _or _the Mobile Suits!" Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes had a wild look about them and Setsuna felt that the woman would soon break down.

"Calm down Usagi," the Time Keeper said as she sat very still and stared directly into her Queen's eyes. Sighing, her stare became softer and soon she felt sorrow pull at her own heart. Back when Crystal Tokyo first arrived she knew that this day, this sorrowful point in the Queen's life would be inevitable no matter how much the Queen denied it. Neo-Queen Serenity made the choice of setting free her Inner Senshi. Before Crystal Tokyo was set and under way, Serenity, with the help of Luna, pulled the memories of the colonies and mobile suits from every citizen's mind to stop the wars and ease into the peaceful era of Crystal Tokyo. That included the Inner Senshi's memories. But instead of just erasing the colonies and mobile suits, she erased all that consisted of being a Senshi and their past lives on the Moon Kingdom as well. Or so the Senshi of Pluto thought.

Setsuna blinked. But the thing was just today she had felt Minako…

She all but glared at Neo-Queen Serenity as the younger women covered her eyes with her dainty hands. "Usagi…" the Time Senshi began slightly skeptically. "Minako… she's beginning to—"

"I know…" groaned the Queen, sliding her hands down her face in a tired manor. She looked up to see Setsuna staring at her angrily. Her eyes fell to the desk and the creative cover of the trashy romance novel. Nudging it with her hand she played with the kitty corner to try and pull her attention away from the angry time Senshi.

Setsuna growled. "So you're telling me that you didn't—"

"I couldn't…" she almost wailed. "Not completely anyway…" the Queen suddenly found herself angry at Setsuna. The hairs on her arm prickled as she ripped the corner of the book off. Slamming her hands down on the table she finally turned to look at Setsuna with tear filled eyes, crystalline drops bulging and threatening to fall. "I couldn't help it Setsuna! How would you feel if you knew that you could never have your friends back for the rest of your life?"

Setsuna watched Neo-Queen Serenity with passive eyes. Placing her elbows on the table, clasping her fingers together and putting her chin upon them she pressed her lips to a thin line and squinted. "I do believe you are forgetting who I am," she stated slowly yet something in her voice chilled the Queen, "and what my duty is."

The time keeper could see the apologetic glances her Queen kept throwing at her and decided that it was rude to keep staring at her highness with such angry eyes. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and when Setsuna opened them she noticed that when Neo-Queen Serenity glanced into her garnet orbs once more, her stance visibly relaxed.

The Queen sighed. "I'm so sorry Setsuna… I never should have yelled at you like that. I've just been so stressed lately, especially since Mamoru convinced me to issue that curfew." The Queen ran her fingers through her bangs only to blow upwards and tousle them again. "Oh Setsuna, that was for the good of the people, wasn't it?" she looked genuinely worried. "I know it will ruffle up some feathers with those who oppose me, but they don't know about Black Star, and it's not like we can release the information we have about them to the public."

Setsuna chose to stare at the wooden desk, a frown on her lips and a finger curled around her chin. "Usagi…" she began, looking up from the desk to her friend, who looked back with innocent, crystalline eyes, "I have two questions for you. One," she stuck out her index finger, "how much of the Inner's memories did you take away?"

Neo-Queen Serenity looked startled at first, before she looked away in what seemed to be slight shame. A blush covered her cheeks now that her lie about taking all of their memories away had been brought into the open. "Well," she fiddled with part of her dress, "I'll tell you that I almost went through with it…I'd gone so far into their memories and erased so much…" her eyes moved downward and the Queen suddenly found her throat tightening and burning. "I honestly don't know how much I took away because I stopped the process so far in. The only thing I do know for sure," Setsuna could now see what a struggle it was for the Queen to swallow, "is that they will never completely remember everything. Least of all, they'll remember each other clearly."

Setsuna closed her eyes and clasped her hands in her lap. "Question two," she murmured softly, making Neo-Queen Serenity jump as if she'd been startled out of a trance. "_Why_ did you decide to take away their memories?"

At this the Queen smiled softly. She grabbed a strand of her own golden hair and chuckled lightly. "You should know the answer to this question most of all, Setsuna." Still the Queen didn't look up. She sighed heavily and smoothed out her lap to keep her hands busy. "My destiny is set in stone. I was destined to become Sailor Moon, I was destined to meet Mamoru, I was destined to fall in love with him, and I was destined to become Queen of Crystal Tokyo. All of these things have been achieved, Setsuna. My job now is to watch over my people and keep them safe." Usagi now gripped the necklace around her neck before looking to the ceiling of her office.

"My Senshi were destined to protect me Setsuna, but they were my friends as well. They weren't guaranteed love or a place within the future. They were destined to do as they'd done many millennia ago; to watch over me.

I wanted to give them a life, a chance to find what they need, to make their own lives. I wanted to—"

"But Usagi, you do realize that you've left yourself open to the new threat. The prospect of evil must have infiltrated your thoughts at some point, what made you think it would be gone by the thirtieth century? Usagi… evil never disappears—"

"I know that Setsuna, but I was foolish." Her cheeks reddened and her eyes closed as she revealed her embarrassing thoughts of the past. "I thought that," she gulped, "since Chronos had put an indefinite hiatus on your ability to see into the future…" she glanced towards Setsuna and winced as she noticed the time Senshi's eyes were now slanted towards the ground, shame pooling in her eyes. When Setsuna looked up, the emotions Neo-Queen Serenity had viewed within her eyes vanished in all but seconds and the Queen knew that she had witnessed something genuinely rare. "Since then I thought that your inability was a sign, a sign that evil was not going to disturb my crystal city."

She slammed her fist onto her desk, this time harder then the last. "How idiotic! How much more stupid could I have gotten?" She placed a hand to her forehead before standing and striding angrily to the door of her office. "It's only now how much I realize they need me, and I need them." With that she stepped out and briskly shut the door behind her.

Setsuna sat for a moment in silence, letting the anger in the Queen's parting words filter out of the room slowly and painfully. The feeling within the office was still tense, and the time Senshi placed a hand to her forehead before leaning back in the chair, the black leather groaning slowly. Rubbing her temples slowly Setsuna tried to process what her Queen had told her.

Finding it no use to stay in the stuffy office, the Queen's words still bouncing off the walls and echoing harshly within her mind, Setsuna stood to leave when the romance novel, sitting precariously on the desks' farthest corner, caught her eye. She grasped the old novel in her hands and looked at the corner in which Neo-Queen Serenity had ripped off in her anger. There was something… written on the page below it. Opening the cover Setsuna looked down and her curious expression soon changed to that of pity.

Tossing the book back to the desk she let the cover flop open as she slowly walked quietly out of the office.

With the small desk lamp still left on, one could see the yellowing, almost crumbling pages of a cheep, trashy novel book. Black writing was becoming faded and the pages all together seemed to have a look of impenetrable dust coating them. But if one looked closer they would see that, written in neat, blue handwriting in the bottom right hand corner was the name. It read _Minako Aino._

…………………………..

Well, I hope this does clear up some things. It was more of an informational chapter rather than an action packed one. However, I almost guarantee that the next one will have more characters and more action.

I was also really wondering if my whole logic about Usagi taking away their memories was a little too far fetched for the story. But then I went back and re-read my Sailor Moon comics and I saw Luna make a container appear by merely opening her eyes wide. Also, since the Ginzuishuo is basically the strongest thing in the universe, hey, why not make it able to erase memories? There are so many things that happen in the comics that you think, 'wow, that's kind of random,' so why not make up my own use for it?

Plus, I don't think that there's really a firm and set explanation as to how Crystal Tokyo came about in the manga (at least not one that I could find). I haven't seen the anime in years so I have no idea what they say about it there. If anyone has any idea please feel free to let me know, I've actually been kind of wondering myself.

Anyway, so what's this about Minako? Is she getting her memories back? And what's this that Neo-Queen Serenity has had Setsuna dig up? Haha, plus Chronos has taken away Setsuna's ability to see into the future…and now Neo-Queen Serenity has issued a curfew? Hmm… I can't wait to get the next chapter out : )

MidnightOpal


	6. Wonderland

**Black Star**

_**Chapter Six: Wonderland**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing

…………………………

For some unknown reason, the girl formerly known as Usagi Tsukino felt the most lavishly decorated room in all of Crystal Tokyo, a place she'd partially decorated herself to comfort her warm heart, had become the coldest corner in the Crystal Palace. She sat quietly in the center of her grand bed, large enough for her to completely stretch her body to its fullest extent each and every way and still not brush the edge. Plush white bulges of the comforter bubbled between her splayed fingers, clenching and rubbing the soft fabric as long billowing drapes mocked her still in the slight breeze with their plain color. Her hair had been let loose from its original style, one which was constantly ridiculed by a woman whom she'd secretly considered her sister. Long tresses weighed down upon her back and blanketed her in gold as some strands spilled over her shoulders like manifest sunlight, gracing her, and her alone, with the only color in the entire room.

The pigtails gone, jewelry removed and with the dress set aside was the only way in which she felt proper to present herself in front of the package that Setsuna had so graciously brought her. Neo-Queen Serenity had been set aside and in the bright infiltrating light from the sun that draped her now luminescent body one could tell: This was Usagi Tsukino. Only as Usagi could she possibly dream of doing what she was about to do— of touching _their _hearts.

Just as her husband's former generals had had, Neo-Queen Serenity's Senshi— Usagi's sisters— had had corresponding stones, ones delved from deep within the core of their very planets; they were the very making of their Senshi hearts. Unlike the generals, however, these stones contained no increment of memory; no familiarity would surge through their veins, no flutter of pictures from thousands of years ago, and certainly no memory of their modern years as Sailor Senshi. These were the bare necessities; they bore raw power, the flowing and burning strength of Mercury, Mars, Venus and Jupiter and nothing, _nothing_, more.

Despite the love, the _memories_, she wished she could give them back, all she could return was power and commitment, something in which Usagi had dubbed confinement. But in a world where good reigned and evil constantly tried to penetrate good's peace, it was all she could give them. Grasping the four stones tightly to her chest, for the first time in years over her lost Senshi, Usagi cried.

………………………………

A slow, lazy hand reached out clumsily from beneath milky white covers and fumbled with the alarm clock beside the bed. Finally managing to switch it off, Ami Mizuno sat up and reached her arms above her head, stretching her limbs and grinning as her joints popped. Squinting one eye, she placed a hand over her mouth and yawned as she cracked her toes and slipped out of bed.

She grinned and stepped into her bathroom, going through her usual morning routine before slipping on a black and white striped sweater and a pair of loose blue jeans. Sliding a white headband onto her head she grabbed her purse and walked out of her apartment. Only when she reached the bottom of the steps did she glance at her watch. Groaned she slapped herself slightly on the head numerous times. _How can I be late? _She chastised herself. _I'm never late!_ She inwardly groaned as she began to chew the inside of her cheek and speed walk to her destination.

…………………………

Duo Maxwell glanced at his watch for the thousandth time that morning. Propping his chin up lazily on his hand he began to count all of the letters on the small café's menu signs. _How is she late?_ He thought to himself. _She's never late._

In all honesty he was quite embarrassed. He was sitting in a café called _Zola's_ with a cup of coffee that had long since been cold, surrounded by multiple crowded tables. It wasn't the crowd that bothered him, nor that his coffee had gone cold, but the fact that he was _alone._ He hated sitting alone and found it quite embarrassing. Duo Maxwell was always with one person or another, never _alone._

Sighing he watched as the liquid in his cup shifted and wobbled from the outward force of his breath. Picking up a spoon he began to dip it into the caffeinated drink and slurp it up like a kid.

"Coffee with a spoon?" said teasing a voice across from him. "Now that's original."

Duo looked up; his lips paused inches away from the spoon, perked for the next slurp. Grinning he placed a sheepish hand behind his head. "I was busying myself until you got your lazy ass out of bed." Dropping the spoon he leaned back in his chair, more relaxed now that he wasn't alone. "So what's up, how come you're late? I'm usually the late comer. I should have known that the one day I get up early, you'd get up late."

"What can I say?" the girl sitting across from him laughed. "Something's different today." Across from Duo Ami sat, still a little out of breath and her cheeks flushed from running. She opened her mouth to say something else but Duo cut her off.

"Just hurry up and get your coffee to go," he mumbled. "I don't want all of the games at the arcade to be taken before we get there. Someone always manages to get Beegee Destroyer before I do."

Ami shrugged her shoulders before getting up and walking over to the cashiers table. "Agreed," was all Duo could catch her say.

After Ami bought her coffee the two continued on to their destination. Ami held the hot cup with the sleeves of her sweater covering the cardboard. She cursed herself for not picking up one of those little brown sleeves to go over it…what were they called again?

"So," Duo began, breaking up her thoughts. "Did you hear about the new curfew that's been issued?"

Ami glared down at her steaming cup. "Yeah," she mumbled bitterly, "I have." Taking a sip of her coffee she winced and mentally cursed as she burned her tongue. _Oh Neo-Queen Serenity, you're like a burnt tongue. Whenever you're there, you're exceedingly annoying. _"I don't even see why she did it." Ami had never really seen eye to eye with Neo-Queen Serenity's rule. The only person she'd really openly expressed her seething disagreement to was Duo, only because he honestly didn't care about politics and never fought against her on the matters. "What, is it another point for her in her totalitarian regime that, by the way, is slowly destroying individuality?"

Duo placed his arms behind his head and sighed. Unfazed by her harsh criticism of their Queen, he looked down at his smaller companion and raised an eyebrow. "Gee Ami," he said, "A little harsh, don't you think?"

Ami looked up and glowered at him. "Oh give it a rest, Duo, I know you're just as skeptical as I am," Ami said, jabbing an accusing finger at the taller man. "Come on Neo-Queen Serenity. Why don't you actually _tell _us what's going on in the world and our own city before you eventually kill diversity and your own people," she said to no one in particular, this time cursing aloud as she burnt her tongue again. "Damn it! Why don't they make this coffee just a little hotter? Then maybe my tongue will turn black, decay and deteriorate!"

Duo chuckled and shoved one hand into his pocket while he used his other to ruffle Ami's hair. "Well," he said with finality, "I've deduced that you're PMS-ing," he joked and pulled his hand from her head before she attempted to smack it away.

"Oh don't even go there, Duo." She gave a heavy sigh. "Am I really the only one cognizant of our corrupt city, of the possible impending danger?"

"Impending danger? Look Ames, maybe you should lay off the coffee a bit, you're starting to use big words," he turned away and mumbled something about the word 'cognizant' as they waited to cross a street.

Ami frowned as she took a daring, yet more controlled and hesitant sip of her coffee. Was he implying that she was paranoid? She might as well have been if no one was going openly question their Queen. Just barely shaking her head she looked up to the clouds and sighed again. Watching them amble aimlessly across the sky made Ami smile. She closed her eyes and let the sun beat down on her face as well as allowed some of the churning disquiet and uneasiness to slip away. _Calm yourself, Ami, there's no use getting angry or riled up._

Duo was about to cross the street when he noticed Ami's peaceful and relaxed posture. She stood in a small pocket of sun and basked in its light. His surprised look eased into a smile as he recognized her calming method.

Ami's mind drifted, the warm sun beating down on her face eased her into a state of submissiveness. She was bound to the sun, a slave to its heat and luminosity. But there was something missing, something she couldn't quite place her finger on until it literally fell onto her forehead.

Ami smiled. The substance dripped leisurely onto her face and Ami grinned heartily at the refreshing feeling. How two things so different, the warming, relaxing touch of sun and the refreshing, cool brush of rain, could be so perfect together stymied her. She opened her eyes to cross the street but stopped. Ami stood stunned and utterly befuddled at the panorama of dark pines that enclosed her beneath a case of bristling boughs.

What…How…Where on earth was she? While moments ago she'd been standing, basking in rays of the sun beside Duo, she now stood frozen in shock, surrounded by the musky scent of the pines that circled her like protecting sentries. Ami tipped her head back and peered through the tips of the trees to the darkening clouds above her. As soon as she looked up, the rain was released in torrents of wet sheets, drenching the small, blue-haired girl. Letting her shock and questions drip away with the vaguely florescent beads of water dripping off of her skin, Ami raised her arms to the sky, almost expecting a dramatic clap of thunder in its wake. However, no thunder preceded the deluge and no wind disrupted the calm, susurrant drumming of the heavy downpour.

As she lowered her arms, Ami as well lowered her head and took in a deep breath. Exhaling heavily, eyes still closed, she failed to notice her breath come out as a silvery mist, immediately freezing all drops in its path. The frozen rain fell and cluttered the forest floor like clear, crystal jewels.

She opened her eyes.

Yes… Ami had been here before. She'd visited this place a few times in her dreams. She'd not been to this exact location, per se, (she usually ended up around a river surrounded by invading stones, bigger than Ami dared to fathom) but the smells were the same and the feeling of being _one _with the surrounding water was undeniably familiar.

She hadn't been here in so long, this inexplicable water wonderland where she could control the one thing she bonded with. Grinning, Ami held out her hands and concentrated. Focusing on each drop of water that landed on her skin, she felt herself begin to absorb the rain, rather than repel it. She became one with it, and it became one with her. No longer coursing through her veins was the life support of blood, but streams of water, powerful currents that now gave power to her mind body and soul. Exhaling she felt her body pulse, something unknown yet so indisputably _home_ rushed from within her and enveloped Ami and the surrounding water around her. This comfort, this… raw power leaked from her every pore and slinked around every droplet that fell from the sky to the earth below.

When the only sound that penetrated Ami's eardrums was the rapid pumping of her heart she dared to open her eyes. Her fingers slowly reached out in astonishment at the veils of rain that surrounded her. The drops had simply frozen in mid air, as if she'd managed to stop time. Ami knew that wasn't the case, for a slight breeze shifted the bristly pines and the needles rustled amongst each other. She brushed back a curtain of water and smiled at how it moved like a silky curtain.

Well jeez. She'd never been able to do this before. The last time she'd visited her mystical dream land she'd managed to create water in the palms of her hands, and sometimes even shoot it outwards like a fountain. But this…this was just too cool. This was just so… _right._ Something was prying at her gut and Ami felt herself place her hand on her stomach. Trying to deny the new and painful feeling she gripped her shirt and tried to shove it out of her system. She remembered this…this pain. It came only when she felt on the cusp of an answer, the solution on the tip of her tongue, yet something she just, for the life of her, couldn't figure out, couldn't _remember._

It was like a locked box weighing her down. She held the key… but something was in her mind was keeping her from opening it—no, something foreign was restraining her from opening it. This pain building behind the first one, however, was different from the previous prickles, tingles she'd felt before. The restraint, the chains keeping her from unlocking the box gave her tingly, sharp warnings. This was much different—

Ami's thoughts were cut off as she felt something tangible wrap around her stomach. It couldn't have been her own arms, for they already cradled her stomach like a child. No, this was cold yet strong and Ami could feel the sinewy fibers that gave it power as it wrapped tighter around her. Looking down Ami started. Wrapping around her like a snake winding around its prey were black, sinuous arms. More appeared behind her and clung to her body; some wrapped around her legs, others pulled at her throat, and some even tugged at her hair.

A groan of pain escaped from Ami's throat as she felt the black arms pull her away from her dream land and into a foreign darkness, somewhere cold and vastly uncomfortable. Trying to escape, Ami found that the more she struggled the tighter the arms wound around her; almost like quicksand. Her air supply was cutting off and Ami almost screamed as a black hand reached up and squeezed her throat. Clenching her eyes closed in pain, the small girl jumped when she heard a voice whisper in her ear.

_Ami…_

Her eyes opened but her vision was blurred, not that it mattered for she'd been torn from her dream land and now resided in a field of pure blackness.

_Ami…_

She felt her heartbeat quicken, her pulse drum within her body and her head became lighter and lighter with each passing moment of oxygen deprivation. Out of the corner of her eye she just faintly caught a glimpse of something blue before it vanished. The strange, malevolent voice was about to whisper one more thing to her when Ami felt herself jerked roughly from the blackness.

"Ami!"

Ami shot up from the chair she currently resided in. Inhaling deeply she found she'd never been so happy to be able to breath. Oxygen really was a beautiful thing. She exhaled and repeated such actions a few more times to make sure that she could really breathe. She placed a delicate hand to her throat, still able to feel the hands that gripped her so uncomfortably, so tightly. It had been a long time since she'd been to that dream place, that water wonderland.

Looking to her right she glanced at Duo, barely able to see his features as it was completely dark within the room. She was about to ask Duo where they were when she felt a hand gripping her left shoulder. Jumping up she smacked the hand away and was ready to fight her way from the grasping appendage when she heard a squeak and a girlish "Hey!" omitted from whoever tried to grab her.

Ami squinted in the darkness, finally recognizing the girl in front of her. "Harumi?" she questioned. When the girl gave a blatant "duh" Ami reached out an apologetic hand. "Oh I'm sorry," she giggled, placing a slightly shaking hand over her heart, "you startled me is all."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "I startled you?" she asked. "What's up with you girl? I come over to console you and you flip out!" Harumi leaned close and used her fingers to open Ami's eyes wider. After a shout and tiny, barely harmful slaps from the interrogated girl, Harumi placed her hands on her hips and glared at Ami. "Have you been smoking?" she asked fiercely. "First Duo tells me you pass out in the middle of the street, and now you're freaking out and slapping people!" She leaned in close to Ami's face, which leaned back in surprise. "Sounds like pot to me!" she accused.

"Sounds like what? Pot?! No, I would never! I passed out?"

Duo nodded, though Ami could barely see it in the dimly lit room. "Right in the middle of the street Ames, it was kinda scary, but I figured it had to do with you wearing a sweater and jeans in the middle of summer," he said as he glared at her.

Ami frowned, folding her hands in her lap. She'd never reverted from her normal self into the wonderland; it had always been when she was sleeping. She wasn't one to quite believe in spiritual and magical what not, but had something… out of the ordinary forced her into it? Looking up she grasped Duo's arm lightly. "You're right Duo; I'm kind of tired anyway. I think I'll go home, take a nap and change into something cooler. I'll meet up with you guys later, okay?"

Startling both Ami and Duo, Harumi shot out of her seat. Pointing a finger at Ami she grinned maniacally. "Tired, you say?"

Ami blinked.

"It's the pot I tell you!"

"Harumi I do not smoke pot!"

…………………………………………

Setsuna's heart thrummed as she felt a chill run down her spine. Turning she looked out of a nearby window in confusion. No, not confusion. Rather in worry and wonder. She'd felt… she'd felt Ami. Ami… no, she hadn't felt Ami, she'd felt the pulse of Mercury's power. "Impossible," she mumbled. "I just dug up the stones…" Setsuna stood quickly and went to consult her Queen.

…………………………………………

Minako shoved her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt and tried not to seem obvious. She stood in front of a small decrepit apartment house that was shrouded in darkness from surrounding buildings. The area was dank, wet and cold erasing all of her happy feelings from the previous sunrise. Old newspaper sections, fast food throw-aways and tattered cloths littered the ground and stopped up corners. The concrete stairs leading to the flaking white door were cracked in intricate spider webbed patterns that seemed to restrain themselves only to the center of the stairs.

Minako tried to think of what she could possibly say. _Oh hi, I just happened to follow you home and… do you by any chance know who I am?_ Minako smacked her forehead and dragged it dramatically down her face. There was no way she could approach the woman without sounding like a complete lunatic or a crazy stalker. But she couldn't just walk away. What had happened on her balcony… that wasn't and everyday thing, something had been exchanged between them and Minako wanted to know what it was. Gulping down her fear, she kept to the left side of the steps and stood before the door. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself. _What are you going to say, Minako?_ She asked herself. Knowing there was no answer she reached out a hand to knock before she could stop herself. Hand poised and ready to knock, she paused as the door slowly but surely opened.

Minako blinked. In front of her was probably one of the prettiest women she'd ever seen. Long black wavy hair was draped over her shoulders and her gorgeous amethyst eyes pierced Minako's blue ones. On her tiny pink lips was a welcoming smile. She lightly touched Minako's hand, which hovered in front of her face in a knocking position, and moved to the side in a gesture for Minako to step inside. After the blonde got over her surprise she did so slightly hesitantly and cautiously. Had the woman known that she'd been followed?

They stared at each other for a moment and Minako felt the need to break the ice. Holding out her hand she tried to start a conversation that wouldn't seem too awkward. "Hi," she began, "I'm Minako." The woman wiped her hands on the white apron that hung around her neck and shook Minako's hand. It was now that the young blonde realized why she'd been holding her stomach protectively. The woman was pregnant. And judging by the size of her she was due any day. But then again Minako was no doctor and just judged pregnant women on how fat they were, in all honesty she had no idea how far along she was.

"Saiyuri," the woman responded. The two women stared at each other for another moment, causing the nerves to jump a mile a minute in Minako's body. She wanted desperately to say something else but couldn't think of what she could possibly say.

"How'd you know I was here?" Minako mentally winced at her stupid statement, though it was a legitimate question.

"I could sense you."

There was a long pause as Minako waited for her to say something else. When nothing else came out of Saiyuri's mouth Minako mentally groaned and hoped this wasn't going to turn out to be something straight out of a horror movie. She fidgeted as she tried to look anywhere but at Saiyuri. "So, are you like a psychic or something then?" she tried, trying not to sound too creeped out.

"If that's what you'd like to call it."

It was now that Minako was starting to get annoyed at the woman's one phrase responses. She tried not to let it show on her face but she knew she must have looked some kind of unhappy because Saiyuri giggled and apologized.

"I'm sorry," she said, "please, follow me into the kitchen, I've just made some tea."

Minako followed her down the short hallway, walls bare and very little furniture adorning the small house. All that was in the kitchen, besides the necessary kitchen machines, was a small table that could just barely comfortably fit four people. Sitting on it was a tea pot and two cups as well as a small plate of crackers and cheese. Saiyuri sat down and gestured for Minako to follow her.

"I know you just got here but this must be short and quick. My kind are not supposed to mingle with yours." Minako was about to ask what she meant by 'her kind' but she refrained herself from doing so. "Now hold out your hands." Minako complied and placed her hands on top of Saiyuri's. As she did so she felt nothing, but obviously the older woman did as a smile came to her lips and she sighed. "It's nice to know you are," she said quietly, slowly taking her hands from Minako as the blonde frowned in question. Saiyuri grabbed a small piece of paper from a nearby counter and wrote something down on it. "I need you to go visit my niece, she—" She paused as there was a knock on her door.

Saiyuri stood slowly while glancing cautiously at the door. She placed a finger over her lips in a motion for her to be quiet and slowly stood, gesturing for Minako to follow her. Minako's head was spinning. What on earth was going on, was this woman some kind of criminal or lunatic? Who were these people knocking at her door, the crystal police or something more sinister? "Saiyuri, what—" the beautiful woman spun around and placed a hand over Minako's mouth as there was another knock on the door.

"You must be quiet," she whispered, eyes wide as she glanced at the door once more. Taking Minako's hand she pulled the younger girl through another room to a small desk where she opened a tiny drawer and pulled out a small golden locket. At this point Minako was quite fed up. What the _hell_ was going on?! She almost wanted to scream in frustration when Saiyuri stopped at a door that led to her back yard.

"Take this," she said, placing the locket in Minako's outstretched hand, "and this," she placed the piece of paper she'd written on before next to the locket and closed Minako's hand. "I need to you visit my niece, she's the daughter of my late sister and able to see and feel the same things I am, though she's a little rusty." The door to Saiyuri's house opened. The two women stood silently as the floor creaked. They could hear the footsteps slowly walking in the house.

The pregnant woman now looked slightly frantic. "Tell her I sent you and show her the locket. In my back yard there's a hole under the fence in the far left corner. Crawl under it and go to the place on the paper and ask for the name I've written down. Now go!" She shoved Minako out the door as the footsteps slowly got closer.

Minako sprinted like her life depended on it to where Saiyuri instructed her. However as she crawled under the fence she had a bad feeling and became worried for the woman. After she'd cleared the fence she looked back at the house. It was impossible to see inside, no matter what window she looked through it was completely black inside. "Saiyuri," she whispered worriedly as she took a step back from the house. Despite her earlier feelings on people being able to 'sense' things, she definitely got a bad vibe from that house. Who ever had walked into it was no normal person and within something was going down. She took another step back as she could have sworn she saw something exit the door. Something had followed her into the yard, but with the grass so long in Saiyuri's back yard she couldn't see exactly what it was. The grasses rustled as whatever followed her surged through them.

Minako took many steps back in fright. How could she have put herself in this mess? She took a few more steps backwards when the thing reached the hole she'd come from and was about to turn around and run like she'd never run before when the ground beneath her ran out. Opening her mouth in a silent scream, Minako reached out her hands in desperation as she began to fall.

………………………………..

Goodness gracious it's been a long time. I finally got Ami into the story and continued with Minako's. Since it's been so long I figured the chapter might as well be extra long too. Now that I might finally have a _little_ more time on my hands I figure the next chapter I'll bring in Rei and maybe continue with Makoto's dilemma.

Don't worry, they'll all tie together soon, it's just taking so damn long and I'm really lazy. The latter being why this chapter is pretty much a load of crap, but I wanted to get it out there, what can i say.

MidnightOpal


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